Absolutism
by smalllfish
Summary: It isn't easy to walk around with your past plastered to your face, for the whole world to see. Addie has been dealing with it since her childhood. She's the sort of girl that bad luck followed quite closely. Eric/OC
1. Nothing but the Dead and Dyin'

"Addie, hun, you gunna help those customers…?" Arlene ran a hand through her hair nervously; an angry edge inched into her voice. "I know you're new here and all, but you gotta pull your own weight." Arlene attempted a smile. And Addie tried her hardest to return the gesture, but only managed a scowl in return. She picked up the tray and slowly brought the drinks to table 18. The men sitting there smiled wickedly, giving her a none-too-subtle once over, their actions supported by a low wolf whistle. She approached slowly, awaiting the inevitable change in the men's demeanor. Their looks shifted from malicious joy to uncomfortable anxiety. That happened too often for Addie to really be affected by it. She just forced a smile on her face and dropped their drinks in front of them. When asked their orders, the men gaped and finally caught themselves. With brief answers, they focused their attentions to their hands, or a far off window. Turning on a heel, she rushed back to the kitchen.

Lafayette eyed the new girl with some trepidation, but then, so did everyone. It's not very often, even in Bontemps, that you see a girl with a scar like that. She glanced up at him through lowered lashes. Even he had to admit she was pretty, it was just hard to ignore the jagged scar that ran from just under her left eye down past the collar of her shirt.

"Lafayette… do you have the orders for table 23?" He let out a soft laugh and raised his eyebrow playfully.

"Sugah, you know you can grab the food through the window." She blushed and nodded.

"Yeah, yeah… I know, it's just…"As she trailed off, she absently ran a finger of the scar. He smiled and turned back to his work. While she didn't like being belittled like that, she could tell, or she hoped, that Lafayette's heart had been in the right place. She left him, taking along two heavy trays, and headed back out on the floor.

Addie continued on through her shift, skirting the attention her scar drew. At the end of the day, she shrugged off her apron and changed out of her standard issue Merlotte's white-tee-shirt-black-shorts uniform. She dressed in her personal uniform of blue jeans and high collared black sweater. She meant to cover as much of the scar at all times. She learned a long time ago that, regardless of how she dressed, people saw the scar… Now the way she dressed was just for her own comfort. If it was even slightly hidden, she could forget for a few seconds that she was deformed. A shudder ran down her spine and let out the breath she hadn't intentionally been holding.

After a chaste goodbye to Arlene and Lafayette, Addie ran to her little Ford Fiesta. She sagged as she sat in the car, cool air blowing through the tiny AC vents. A tear slipped down her face, tracing the track of the scar. Addie repressed another shudder and flipped the car into drive, speeding home. Something about driving forced her in to the recesses of her mind.

She was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a girl that people called lucky. No, it was quite the opposite. Addie was a notorious klutz, with a foul temper and an even worse mouth. She had the nasty habit of absently running a hand over the scar when she was feeling shy or thinking. Shaking her head, she dismissed her past. The stress of the day was catching up with her and she needed to unwind. She needed a drink.

She muttered angrily, cursing herself for not staying at Merlotte's. At least then she would have had a chance to bond with her coworkers. Instead, she was miles out from Bontemps, on the way to her condo near Shreveport. She cursed and hit the steering wheel, jumping slightly as the horn sounded. Thanking the high heavens she was alone on the road, she glanced around at the scenery, as the country and wildness shifted to a more urban setting. A sign blazed brightly up ahead.

_Fangtasia._

A small laugh escaped her lips. Vampires sure had a good sense of humor about themselves. Another dry laugh stirred from her. She wasn't necessarily dressed for a _vampire_ bar, but it was a bar nonetheless. And, at the moment, nothing sounded better than a cool glass of oblivion. It was that logic that sent her into the parking lot of the bar, that logic that drove her through the throng of protestors and "Steve Newlin's right, you devils of the night," and right up to the cruel looking blonde at the door.

The blonde eyed her suspiciously. It was not shock really. The scar, combined with the "post-Russell-Edgington" vampire human issues, it must have been a shock to see her there.

"Mmm… I will never understand the way you humans dress…especially here in the South." The blonde stepped aside, but still watched Addie. She could feel the eyes bore into the back of her head. She was grateful, though, because the scar hadn't even fazed the vampire.

The bar called to her, and with good reason. The full stocked shelves glistened in the light of the vampire bar, which offered a drastic difference from the darkened room, filled a few bodies, writhing to the music. The musky scent of sweat and poured concrete mixed with the sterile scent of vampire, all tinged with the tang of alcohol. She smiled and sidled up to the bar, ordered a Texas tea, and drifted into her own head.

"What's the scar from?" She jumped back into the present and blinked wildly, staring into the face of the bartender. The short, but attractive Asian vampire eyed her, one brow raised. He was obviously sturdy; his body cut with lean muscle, though that was easy to miss beneath his coating of Yakuza style tattoos. She shook her head and coughed through the sip of her drink.

"The…scar?" She tried to joke about it, grinning sheepishly. The vampire looked thoroughly unamused. He managed a little smirk.

"Looks like a claw…" She leaned her head from side to side, her neck cracking.

"Ah…no. At least, I don't think so. I don't really remember the night. My house collapsed. I lost my father and my little brother. I got out with the scar… I'm the lucky one." The bartender's raised eyebrow cocked higher as he nodded slowly. He turned to attend to another customer and Addie refocused on her drink. She spun on her barstool to face the writhing crowd, paying acute, albeit embarrassed, attention to the girls dancing in the cages. Something in her burned with jealousy to see women so scantily clad. She idly tugged her turtleneck higher, covering more of the scar that trailed from just below her left eye down to the middle of her thigh. The doctors had told her a beam from the house had fallen and landed straight along her body, crushing a few of her ribs, her cheek bone, and the hip. It was a miracle the scar was the only thing that really plagued her still.

Her blush only deepened when she laid eyes on the hulking blonde vampire that walked out on stage and perched on the throne. She couldn't help but stare at him. Carnally speaking, he was…delicious. She laughed despite herself. She was depraved when she was deprived. Her last relationship had ended nearly a year and a half ago, which had sent her back to her mother's house in New Orleans.

It had been more that just a _relationship_, they were engaged. They broke because she had cheated on him. She wasn't ashamed of it, but it certainly wasn't her proudest moment. He had caught her and the man in the "throws of passion." And within a months time, the ring was gone, the wedding date cancelled, and all of her things had been deposited at her mother's house. It had been easy living with her mother, despite the glares from some of her family. But life wasn't meant to be easy, so she moved out and settled just outside the slightly-bustling city of Shreveport. And here she was.

She blinked back the revelry and settled into the present yet again. She had been staring at the Big Blonde Viking, and he must have noticed. He was watching her, and when she realized, her blush spread down her neck. He winked and refocused his attention to his dancers. She groaned inwardly and downed her drink. After a moment of adjusting that blossoming warmth that spreads through you after the drink, she stood, left some money on the bar and walked outside.

Thankfully, the anti-vampire league that had plagued the bar before had dissipated in the late hour. Addie meandered over to her car and wondered if it was really the _best_ idea for her to drive herself home. As she struggled with finding her keys in the bottom of her purse, she missed the encroaching footfalls. Every muscle in her tightened as she felt a hand wrap around her mouth, as she felt the solid body pull taut against her back. She tried to bite down, to kick out his legs, but nothing worked. Instead, the actions seemed to spurn her attacker on.

Fear and instinct took over has she felt his cold breath on her neck. The dull clicking sound of extended fangs rang in her ears. And with the sensation of being pricked by two large pins, Addie's world faded to black.

"_Eric… Eric! Fuck, a human…and that's…bites. King Bill….humans…. fucking Russell Edgington." _

Addie tried to open her eyes, but the sudden rush of bright light forced them shut again. Her head throbbed and the world faded in and out. The next thing she felt was a rush of warm liquid down her throat. She sputtered and choked, but it continued to flow. As suddenly as it had begun, the liquid ceased flowing. Addie blinked again and found herself staring in the cold eyes of the hunky vampire. She blushed brightly and raised her eyebrows in confusion.

From the other side of the room, she heard the blonde vampires voice. "Fan-fucking-tastic, Eric. You brought her back. We still have to deal with the fact that she was attacked on _Fangtasia's_ land. You know _King_ Bill will have a fucking field day blaming this all on y-"

"Pam." He stopped her abruptly, glacing her way. Let's see how this plays out. She may end up working in our favor." He looked back down at Addie and winked.


	2. Remember Me to One Who Lives There

What do you do when you're begrudgingly in debt to a man, nay, vampire who has plans of _using _you? Addie certainly had no idea. This time when she woke up, she felt surprisingly good. There was a small pang of hurt that came from her neck, but that was it. Everything else felt heightened. She laughed softly until she realized that she was alone. Not only was she alone, she was alone in a strange place. Her curiosity was going to get the best of her, as it usually did.

_Curiosity killed the cat, Addie._ Her mother's words rang in her ears. "But satisfaction brought it back, Momma." She whispered. She slid off the leather couch and stood, her mind reeled slightly as the blood rushed to her head. She was obviously settled in an office. There was a big desk, the couch, and shelves stocked with the odd necessities of a bar, along with a few kegs along the wall. A big door stood to her left. She tiptoed her way to it and pushed, the hinges silent as the door swung open. She stepped out and peered around cautiously, then smiled to herself. Suddenly, she couldn't stop her laughing fit. What in God's name was going on? She had just wanted a drink, and now… now. Well, now _what? _ She was wandering around a vampire bar during the day, satiating her curiosity, in a _vampire_ bar, with vampires, creatures readily able to kill her. Her laughter shifted from amusement to hysteria. It masked the quiet, scared 'hello' that rang out from the bar.

The echo of her laughter rang through the empty bar as she stopped dead, when the petite strawberry blonde came around the corner and started screaming for dear life. Addie raised her hands and tried to calm the woman, but the screaming only got louder. Addie waived her hands wildly as the woman continued to stare and scream.

"Wait- WAIT! I'm a human! Please stop! Christ almighty, STOP!" Addie was moving towards the woman slowly, but she turned and ran off, still maintaining that shrill shriek. She cursed under her breath and glanced around. Deciding it was in her best interest to get the hell out of there, she ventured back into the office, rummaging for her purse.

"Why me, God? Seriously? You've given me the burden of this _fucking_ scar, and now you're just…just… Well, this is just cruel!" She groaned and threw her head back, clenching her fists tightly. Exasperated, she stopped digging through the office and sat on the floor with a thud, trying to regain some semblance of composure. "Getting involved with vampires is tricky business."

"Humans create far worse problems than vampires." She yelped and whipped her head around. The delicious blonde vampire was standing in the doorway; even the stern look he was giving her had her melting. She blushed and nodded her head from side to side. He crossed the room in three long strides and leaned against the desk. "Who are you?"

From her perch on the floor and his proximity to her, she had to tilt her head almost entirely back to make eye contact with the Viking. She couldn't decide if it would be more awkward to stand now, or remain seated. Opting for as little motion as possible -vampires tended to be stoic, but a little on the skittish side, one was best off without any sudden movements- Addie remained seated and refocused her attention to her hands.

"I'm Addie, or Adeline, Bardolph. I'm a waitress. I've got a knack for crosswords. I'm terrified of spiders. I went to school for veterinary studies." She glanced up at him and grinned widely; she knew she was babbling, but she couldn't help it when she was nervous. He stared at her with his lips pulled into a tight line. He thought she was bull shitting him. She laughed awkwardly and he eyebrow cocked in interest, but she did not miss the way his eyes traced her scar. They trailed from her eyes down her neck, blinking as the met the high collar of her shirt. Like many before, he must have wondered just where it stopped.

"Why did you scare off my bar maid?" She laughed again and felt the blush spread to her ears.

"Now that wasn't on purpose, you know. I went to…ah, look for my bag to head home, and she saw me and wouldn't stop screaming. Good god, she's loud." She was babbling again. She bit the inside of her lip to try and stop from even speaking. Something in her knew she was just digging herself deeper and deeper.

"And where were you off to?" She had to bite her tongue from making a comment on his incessant questioning.

"Well, I didn't think it was such a big deal for me to want to be at home after all this madness." She gestured widely with her hands to encompass him, the club, the bar maid, even the bites in her neck.

The vampire, Eric, only looked at her more intently. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze and stood. "So, if you'll give me my purse and let me get on my way…" He shook his head and smirked.

"Unfortunately, this situation is much larger than you, Adeline Bardolph. Because you were attacked on my land, this is my problem too. And because it was a vampire, we've got the _king_ to deal with.

Addie felt her self nodding slowly. She felt her self deflate suddenly. She felt her self fall to the couch. It just all didn't seem real.

"So, the king, huh? What do I, uh, do then?" He didn't hear her. His eyes had unfocused a tad and he was glancing off, just past her head. She could see a small bead of red forming at his ear. As it grew, she realized it was blood. She released a breath she hadn't been intentionally holding in the form of a gasp. "You're bleeding." His eyes formed thin slits and he watched her hotly. "I mean, from your ear, you're bleeding." She pointed. He raised his hand slowly and touched his ear, frighteningly calm.

After licking the blood away from his hands, he leaned over his desk and pulled her purse from one of the drawers.

"I need to go to ground, tonight will…long. Here are your things. Someone will be around to get you this evening. You will need to be present for the king's inquisition." He handed her bag to her and was suddenly standing in the door. She whipped around to a small smile playing on his handsome face. "And if you don't mind, try not to scare Ginger again." With that, he as gone.

After a moment of stunned silence, Addie let out a soft giggle. He was just an enigma, and too handsome for words. Not wanting to stay in the bar any longer than necessary, she rushed out of the bar and to her car. Thankfully, _Ginger_ was nowhere to be seen.

Addie flew home, managing a 15-minute trip in just over seven. Her mind had checked out and she was just running on autopilot until she found her hands shaking too hard to get the key in the lock of her front door. Everything had taken on a dull sheen, like looking at the world through dusty glasses. Her white condo had faded to a grey, the red front door the shade of clay-mud dust. The only thing that managed to pull her mind is was a short yelp, followed by a long whine of need from behind her front door.

"Buck! Oh God, Buck. I'm so sorry baby. Mommy's home." She managed to rein in her shaking hands enough to hear the lock click open. The door swung open and her big husky, German shepard mix rushed out, nearly knocking her over. "Oh Buck, you must be starving, huh? Come on and let's feed you." She stopped dead and the dog ran into her legs. Her kitchen was a _mess_. The cabinets were open and cereal and pasta, along with some unidentifiable substances littered the floor. She glanced down at Buck and his tongue lolled from his mouth as he looked up at her. That was the final straw. She sunk to the ground with a crunch from the Cheerios. The tears wouldn't stop, the shaking wouldn't stop.

An indeterminate amount of time had passed before Addie could bring herself to move. She took a quick look around the room, surveying the damage. What struck her was the time on the microwave. It was only ten-thirty. She had almost nine hours until the sun would set. She could almost hear her bed calling to her. She stood slowly and wiped the crumbs from the back of her legs. Gradually, she made her way up the stairs and to her room.

With a great effort, she managed to peel her clothes from her body. Leaving them in a heap on the floor, she pulled open the bottom drawer of her armoire and grabbed her old flannel pajama top. It was the last thing she owned that had belonged to her ex-fiancé. With a half-smile, she pulled it on and fell to her bed, her last conscious thought on the happy, simple world she'd left behind with the man she once loved.

Buck curled at the end of the bed, watching his owner with concern. He let out a small, shrill whine and crawled on his belly towards her. He gently licked her out turned face. Her soft, even breathes comforted the creature and he laid his head gently across her back.

_The heat was spreading slowly, as though a fire had been set in her mind and was slowly flowing through her veins. Every inch of her body hummed with pleasure, so much so that she was sure it must have been glowing. _

"_Ä__lskare?" She opened her eyes and felt the small smile tug at her lips. The piercing blue eyes winked before he leaned in close and ravished her lips in a heated kiss. The heat in her swelled as lips met lips, tongue met tongue. His hands traced lines down her neck, over the curves of her collarbones, only to rest on her breasts. She moaned low into the kiss and felt him smile against her lips. He pulled back and she could not bite back the whimper that escaped her. His laugh was low, but soft and tugged at something deep with her._

_He reclaimed her hips with a ferocity she had not experienced before. She ran her hands through his hair, and gripped tightly, pulling as he gently kissed her neck. With a wet click, his fangs slid into place and she waited for the ecstasy that came with the bite._

Addie woke up coated in sweat, her shirt clinging to her body. Buck was on the other side of the bed, snoring loudly. She rolled to see the sun hanging low in the sky. She only had so much time until "someone" would be coming for her. She repressed a shiver.


	3. I Was Born One Dark Grey Morn

The cold water shocked her back into her senses. Wasn't that what they said you should do after a dream like that, a good cold shower to get you back to… well, anything other than intense, heated arousal. Addie's face flushed, burning brightly despite the cold water. She could certainly admit to being attracted to the man, anyone who wouldn't was a liar. He was tall, obviously well muscled, but not grotesquely so. He had that slicked-back blonde hair, the shining blue eyes. She groaned as images from her dream rapidly flooded her senses.

Leaning back against the shower wall, she tried to catch her breath. One thing was certain: it would be difficult to face Eric tonight.

After the none-too-successful shower, Addie picked her clothes for the night, with the King in mind. Feeling daring, she pulled on a pair of black, high-waisted skinny jeans and a light green tank top, wrapping a cream colored scarf around her neck. She turned to the mirror and cringed.

Normally, she avoided looking at herself. Though, for a time, she hadn't minded her own face, scar and all, but that was when she was engaged. Having someone love you really did make it easier to love yourself. Now, she knew appearances mattered, but what was the point in getting all made-up if people were only going to stare at the scare?

Swallowing her own ideals, she blinked in the mirror and watched the scar stretch a bit with each twist and turn of her mouth or eyes. She winced and covered the scar with her hand. Now, staring at herself didn't seem too terrible. She admired her light, freckled skin, her golden-green eyes framed by long lashes, her mess of wavy, brown hair. She liberally applied her makeup –mascara, eyeliner and lipstick. She hoped the change was _subtle_.

"Not that you have anyone to impress, Addie…" She mused quietly.

She knew she _should_ love herself, and for the most part, she really did. She could even ignore the scar, for the most part. But some days, the ugly mark would throb, or burn, and she wouldn't be able to find the will to leave the house.

As if on cue, the scar ached dully, forcing a whimper from Addie. She rubbed it gently. As the pain faded, Addie rocked her had back and forth, something that had become a habit when she was just a child.

The nerves had settled deep within her by the time a knock sounded at her door. She had been attempting to read the newest issue of Vogue, as Buck snored softly next to her on the couch. The words blended together, and she found she'd spent 20 minutes read the same page over and over inadvertently. With the knock, she stood, ran a hand through her hair, adjusted her scarf and walked to the door. Through the peephole, she could see the blonde Vampire from the night before, Pam. With a deep breath, she opened the door.

"Mmm…" Pam pursed her lips, giving her a once over. "I see you got dressed up," she paused to lick her lips, sending chills down Addie's spine, "the King must be more important to you than a just a night at a vampire bar."

"I figured royalty might actually _mean_ something." Pam's eyes widened and her lips formed a smile, but that smile wasn't reflected in her eyes. Addie's nails dug into her palm as she clenched her fist. Buck has since trotted to the door and was growling softly at the vampire. Pam bared her fangs to him, and the dog whimpered and inched closer to his owner. Addie shooed him away and closed the door, following Pam out to the rather nice, albeit obviously vampiric, red sports car. Pam grinned widely as she slid into the driver seat. Addie gingerly opened the passenger door and sagged into the car.

Without a word, they were speeding down the road. Addie's mind wandered as the county-turned-suburbia setting whizzed by. She noticed that, as of late, her ex-fiancé had been overwhelmingly present in her mind. She could still recall every aspect of his body, his face. He was always lightly tanned, with dark hair and darker eyes. He was fine boned, verging on delicate. But he was a good man, and handsome in his own way. Closing her eyes, she could even see the fine detail of the ever-present five o'clock shadow that graced his jaw.

Like every time she let her mind, and heart, wander back to Jack Decker, another man flooded her senses. She wasn't able to recall his name, but his face burned brightly in her minds eye. Just as suddenly as he invaded her mind, he faded away. All that was left was the look on Jack's face, the look of sheer heartbreak and disappointment. That look haunted her every day.

No, she did not feel ashamed by what she had done. Nor did she really regret the sex with the now nameless man. What she carried with her was the pain she was able to cause someone who had cared so deeply.

Pam shifted the car into park after drifting into Fangtasia's lot. She turned to regard Addie with intense fascination. That scar… it wasn't natural, or human. She could almost smell it on her, mixed in with the scent of fresh cut grass, strawberries and lemon, there was an undercurrent of the heady, spiced scent of magic. Not just magic, Pam corrected herself, it was something specific, something wild, that she just couldn't place.

She deftly removed herself from the car, her pumps sounding loudly against the pavement. Addie hadn't moved from the car, her eyes still focused on a far off place. Pam grinned wickedly, and inched towards the car, quickly pulling the door open.

Addie was pulled from her revelry as the door flew open. She threw her hands up and gasped, immediately defending herself. She blushed heatedly as Pam cackled, turning on a heel as she ventured into the bar. Left alone, Addie began to wring her hands and crack her knuckles nervously. As she stood, she stretched, listening for the crack of her hip. It happened every time she stretched. A blush rose to delicately dust her nose. It happened in a few other situations too, and it always got a laugh from her. Men, on the other hand…

Thoroughly calmed from a good bought of giggles, Addie found the will to venture into the bar, silently praying to God that she wasn't underdressed.

The door swung open and she found all eyes on her. Pam was smiling sinfully, Eric had his eyebrow cocked, a small smirk gracing his lips, and the King, King Bill, looked oddly familiar, and not kingly in the least. He seemed almost gentle, though worn. He smiled warmly, and gestured for me to sit down.

"Please join us, Ms. Bardolph." His lilting southern drawl instantly comforted Addie. He seemed genuine, kind and forgiving. She found herself smiling like she'd just sat down to lunch with an old friend. "I am truly sorry to hear about your incident last night. I am here to help, and I assure you, I'll do my best as king of Louisiana to aide you." He smiled widely and tilted his head, staring deeply into her eyes. She felt a slight tinkle in her head, like a warm blanket on her mind. But the sensation stopped at a very superficial level, it was not permeating her consciousness. The sensation was very distracting.

"She can't be glamoured." Eric's voice resounded in the hollow room. King Bill's face shifted, but the smile remained.

"Now that is an interesting twist." Pam was smiling even more widely than before. "You are not hurt, I take it?" Addie nodded slowly.

"No, Eric was, hm, _kind_ enough to help me out." Addie smiled and tilted her head towards the Viking vampire, who was looking utterly impassive at the scene before him.

"If you don't mind me asking, Ms. Bardolph, why can't you be glamoured?" Addie was impressed with his impeccable manners. He not only treated her like an old friend, but like a real _lady_ too. It was a first for her.

"I guess I'm just lucky." She'd heard of glamouring before. It was just a skill vampires had to control humans. "I've never really encountered too many vamps before this."

Bill made a low, thoughtful noise in his throat. "Well, let's attend to the matter at hand. You were attacked …do you remember anything of your attacker?"

Addie couldn't help but laugh lightly. "Well, I'm damn sure he had fangs," she paused, collecting herself. "But other than that, I don't know. He snuck up behind me, and I was…I'm a fan of Texas tea, you see…It's got a lot of…"She was too chatty, and she wasn't really saying anything important to the _king!_ "I'm sorry I'm not more help." She blushed and glanced at her hands.

"No, don't worry Ms. Bardolph, it's quite alright. We're just doing this to protect you and your kind. "

After a few more trivial questions, Addie was free to head home. Eric gestured for Pam to take her, much to the vampires chagrin. With the ladies gone, the King turned to the Viking, eyebrows raised.

"That scar. Can you smell it on her?" Eric nodded solemnly, taking the seat Addie had been occupying.

"It's not a human wound." Bill mulled over the human he had just encountered, gently whirling the glass of Tru Blood. Her scent still hung in the air, what Bill would have called summer, tinged with peppery, feral scent of magic. More specifically, were.

Pam let Addie out on the street in front of her condo; leaving her barely enough time to step away for the sports car sped off. Addie ran a hand through her hair and pulled off her scarf, unlocking her door to find Buck fast asleep on the front mat. She smiled, and pet his head then wearily climbed the stairs to her room.

She stripped down and lay in her bed, contemplating the night. She couldn't be glamoured… That made her feel a bit safer, now that she was wrapped up in all this vampire business. That vampire Eric… she felt him. It must have had something to do with the blood they now shared. She shivered, grinned cheekily. There were certainly less handsome vampires to be linked to.

Sleep had nearly claimed her when she heard a light rapping on her door, followed by a loud series of barks from Buck. She groaned and slowly made her way downstairs. Peering through the peephole, she found her self face to face with the hulking Blonde Viking of her dreams.


	4. Where My Love Lies Waitin' Silently

As she swung the door open, Addie became acutely aware that she was only sporting Jack's flannel. She groaned and lowered her head as Eric greeted her warmly.

"Well, Adeline, how nice it is to …see you." He flashed her that damned wink again. Addie forced a laugh and leaned against the doorframe as the vampire stood on her tiny porch, dwarfing everything around him.

"You too, Eric. Lucky girl I am. Twice in one night?" She returned his wink and ran a hand through her chaotic hair, smiling widely. He eyed her and nodded slowly. Buck suddenly rushed down the stairs, teeth bared. A low growl reverberated from her throat and with a leap, he charged Eric from the stairs.

Addie didn't have the time to scream when Eric bared his fangs and stopped the dog dead in his tracks. The snarl still sounded, but Buck was still. Addie gently rubbed behind his ear and pulled him closer.

"Mmm, Eric. This is buck. Would you like to come in?"

"Thank you, Adeline."

She wasn't stupid and she certainly wasn't entirely clueless to the rules of vampires. Eric needed to be invited into the house to even step foot inside. Thankfully, that invitation was not permanent. He smiled and something in her began to melt. He was devilishly handsome, and his self-confidence and cool demeanor had her considering some very bad things.

She led him to the small living room in the condo. It was decorated in shades of green and gold and held a sort of calm, quiet air. Eric seemed genuinely out of place in the modern room. He should have been surrounded by furs and stone, like a true Viking, with him sporting one of those gilded, horned helmets. Just the idea of it drew a small laugh from Addie.

"Ah, do you want some Tru Blood? I have AB positive…" Actually, it was rather old. Her mother's advice of always being ready for guests, always being hospitable, had tied over to vampires after they'd all come out of the coffin. So, after the great revelation, Addie had gone out and bought the Tru Blood. It had followed her from her home with Jack, to her mother's house, and finally to her new condo.

As she stepped into the kitchen, she realized she had yet to clean the mess the lovely Buck had left her. Cursing under her breath, she weaved her way in and out of the piles of food and slop. She pulled open the fridge and grabbed the bottle, pausing to wonder if she should heat it up. She decided against it and walked back to the living room to find buck curled up neck to Eric, his head in the vampires lap. She couldn't help but laugh… The dog around him like that really made him look like a Viking, if you managed to look past the leather jacket.

Eric turned his attention to the human, regarding her intensely. She wasn't unattractive. Quite the opposite, she had the body of a woman, curved in all the right places. Watching the way she carried her self, she obviously possessed lean muscle, and a sure standing. She wasn't outstanding, no. She was _pretty_, or would be, without that jarring scar. With that though, Eric's eyes flashed low, able to see the tale end of the scar just under the flannel.

Addie hated the sensation of being seized up, but knew the vampire had the control in this situation. Instead of fighting it, she stood in the doorway, squirming under the scrutiny of his gaze. He met her eyes with a wink, causing pink to spread across her face lightly. He decided he liked the way she looked when she blushed.

"You've raised a good dog." Addie beamed.

"No, he's far from good. You should see the kitchen. He's a brat, but I love him." She crossed the room and handed him the Tru Blood, which he took with some trepidation. Opening it, he sniffed and didn't manage to cover the grimace on his face. He nodded to her and placed the bottle on the table.

"How old he is?" Addie eased into the armchair across from him, glancing lovingly at her pup.

"Almost five, I think. Jack and I got him when we moved in together. When I," She paused, swallowing loudly. _Why did Jack keep coming up? _"Ah, moved out, Jack practically threw him out with me. Ah, it's funny. I haven't really talked about him in over a year and here he keeps coming up." The words 'bad omen' fluttered ominously through her head.

"Is he the reason for the scar?" She was almost shocked. Almost. But, in the short amount of time she'd spent with vampires, she realized that they lacked the whole notion of tact.

"Mmm. Wouldn't you like to know?" She smiled widely. To avoid the topic at hand, she shifted the conversation to a focus on him. "Why did you really save me?"

"There were no other motives. To have a human die on my land, at the hand of a vampire, would be…unfortunate for me in the eyes of the king." And Eric knew the king would take any opportunity to get him out of the way. "But that scar…"

Addie barely suppressed a groan. She was not going to win with him, and she had known it from the beginning. So that was that.

"I got it when I was younger. A lot younger. My house collapsed during a freak storm. My father and little brother died, and I got my hip crushed, along with a few ribs and my cheekbone. The whole left side of my aches something fierce during rainstorms. They, the doctors, said a beam collapsed on me. I was lucky to make it out alive. I don't remember it though… I don't even remember any of that night." She lowered her head and watched her hands. She didn't like to talk about her family, her father and brother. It still stung, and the hole they had left in her heart ached.

Eric watched her, the ultimate of cool and composed. She had no idea that it was a werewolf claw that had left that mark. He inhaled deeply, taking in that mixture of sweet summer that permeated off of this human. Mixed in was the tinge of supernatural left in the scar, but that was the extent of it. Barring that disfigurement, there was nothing but human in her. It did intrigue him that she couldn't be glamoured. But he knew the rules of weres, he had them in his string of diligent henchmen. Were's were born, not created. It couldn't be passed on through anything but genes. Maybe he needed a were to see her…

He smiled softly, and watched her eyes light up.

"I'm sorry." She nodded but didn't look up from her hands. The dog snuggled closer to Eric's leg, and something in him ran nostalgic. Addie interrupted his revelry.

"Eric, I'm sorry if I caused you any grief." She stopped and glanced up at him, worry evident in her features. Before she could get any more out, he was right in her face, a finger delicately tracing the scar on her face. It trailed low, to her jaw, and Addie clamped her eyes shut, her breathing shallow. With all her self-control, she tried not to react. The heat swelled in her body. She tried to blame it on the blood, on his blood, in her veins, but she couldn't. He was tall, built, and beyond handsome. She was practically drooling when she felt his finger retract from her body. He was still mighty close to her, and she felt a certain coolness resound from him, but she refused to open her eyes. Find her voice –finally- she managed to speak. "But, I have the lunch shift at work tomorrow, and I need a good nights rest. It's been a while." Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes slowly. He was still perched in front of her, his eyes shining brightly. She nearly melted into the chair; it was all she could do to not kiss him right there.

"Alright Addie." He leaned in and kissed her hard and fast and then he was gone. She just sat there in shock, the blood pounding through her veins.

Eric's hunch had been right. She tasted just as sugary and summery as she smelled. He could _see_ the affect he had on her and knew it wouldn't be long until he had a taste of her.

Before getting into bed, Addie had found the will to clean the kitchen. As she worked, she cursed under her breath. _The damn dog, the damn vampire, the damn scar, the damn ex_. She could hear her pup snoring in the living room. Nearly an hour passed before she had the kitchen entirely cleaned, every crevice was free of specs and crumbs. She gently awakened Buck, who followed her up to her room. She crashed back into her bed and curled on her side. Buck joined her and resumed his leisurely nap. The tears flowed slowly, and gently lulled her to sleep.

_The slick click of fangs resounded hotly in her ear. Instead of fear, it stirred a deep need inside her. After a quick pain, immense pleasure flooded every fiber of her being. She opened her eyes, but all she could see was stars. She smiled and blinked them away, watching him as he pulled back and licked the blood from his lips and fangs. He smiled at her and leaned forward, trailing kisses from her jaw, down her body. The kisses fell along her scar, following it down her chest, her stomach, to her thighs. His hands held her hips in place as he gently licked, nipped and suckled at her thighs. _

_ The fire he had set within her swelled and consumed her entirely. She felt a second pinch and his fangs were sung deep in her inner thigh. It was almost too much. Almost, but his fingers dug into her hips, keeping her rooted to the earth. Just as suddenly as the sensation had overwhelmed her, it stopped. She moaned softly and smiled at the chuckle that shook the bed. His hands traced their way back up to her head, lacing through her hair. She moaned into their chaste kiss and arched her hips to him, panting with need. He laughed softly again, a sound that only seemed to increase the need behind her ministrations. Her moans amplified tenfold as she felt him press against her. With one swift thrust, he filled her and…_

Addie rolled over and watched the sun hanging low in the sky. It couldn't even be five o'clock yet. She groaned and buried her head in the pillows. Buck glanced over and watched his owned kick her arms and legs wildly, her screaming hushed by the pillows. She rolled back over and sighed.

"If that's what I've got in store for every night…well fuck."


End file.
